I neither exercise, nor pay much attention to what I eat; if it's delicious, I eat until I'm physically in pain. I don't see myself as having any less energy than my peers who do exercise (if anything, I have more focus), and nor do I have any physical difficulties of any kind.
I weigh about 60kg (~130 lbs) and am about 1.75m tall. I've been about this weight since I was 14 or so, with almost no variance. It puts me just on the border between underweight and normal weight based on BMI.
AFAICT, exercise is a fad that wastes an enormous amount of time, and is only worthwhile if you enjoy it. (I'm being a little facetious, but thus far in my life, I see only downside, no upside.)
So in other words you have high metabolism. A lot of other people do not, so it's just a bit arrogant to say exercise is 'a fad' just because of your anecdotal experience.
I think it's more than a fad, it's more like a cult, or a cultural ritual.
I don't watch much TV or consume much advertising, but on the occasions I do, I'm blown away by how heavy the marketing emphasis is on being fit, one way or another. Marketing thrives on people's self-perceived inadequacies, because it creates a very base need for products.
Not being plugged into the culture, I feel its pressure all the more. It may be confirmation bias, but I perceive the downvote as a form of peer punishment too.
The downvotes are because you are insulting a part of many peoples lives which you pretty much claim to know very little about. For one, I want bother linking because any simple search will yield the results, exercise is, not surprisingly, the root of many physical and mental health benefits. I've read numerous stories here on HN showing how it can help lift people out of depression, and exercise is important to many professions and hobbies.
But aside from the direct benefits, does marketing show healthy and fit people? Yes it does, but I'd go out on a limb and say that even without that, people of the opposite sex will find healthy physical features attractive, so you're always going to have people do it for that reason as well. It's not the most noble motive (however you define that), but you shouldn't ignore the other very honest reasons for exercise just because you hate the stereotypical gym jock.
IMO you're coming at it from the wrong angle. i don't even own a tv at all. yet i compete in bodybuilding and go to the gym every day because i love it.
just because your idea of what is fun doesn't mesh with someone elses, doesn't mean it's stupid.
additionally, your n=1 example of eating whatever you want and not getting fat holds little statistical significant. when the average person consumes more calories and doesn't make up that increase in caloric intake with exercise, they will gain weight over time.
I thought like that until age 30, but at that point I started getting injuries and back pain. Stumbling a bit was enough to pull a tendon in my foot. Pulling my hand away too quickly from splashing cooking oil and I'd pull a tendon in my shoulder or hurt my neck. Sitting at my desk for too long and my back would start to hurt.
My metabolism is similar to yours. I never gain weight. Not everyone is like that, but there are some age related changes we all have in common. We lose muscle mass, but muscles are the only thing that prevents wear and tear in our joints and spine.
I hate exercising, but I don't want to live in pain and look geriatric at age 50.
The things that give me injuries are usually motorcycle accidents :)
I do pull the odd muscle every now and again (once or twice a year?), but it's usually because I'm doing something extremely strenuous - last was pulling my VFR onto its centrestand. And indeed, simply physically moving a 250kg machine around every few days is a form of exercise. As are all the other things I do that prompt effort or get my heart rate up. But they are only incidental parts of living.
I don't know your age, but what works for you now may not work for you as you get older. And many people exercise not because of how it makes them look but because of how it makes them feel; in fact, for many people who exercise, their appearance changes very little, if at all. And some people find that exercise helps mitigate chronic illnesses such as MS, hypertension, depression, asthma. . .or at least the symptoms thereof.
I weigh about 60kg (~130 lbs) and am about 1.75m tall. I've been about this weight since I was 14 or so, with almost no variance. It puts me just on the border between underweight and normal weight based on BMI.
AFAICT, exercise is a fad that wastes an enormous amount of time, and is only worthwhile if you enjoy it. (I'm being a little facetious, but thus far in my life, I see only downside, no upside.)